Baadshaho - Preview

This is unapologetic “filmy” everything – dialogue, its delivery, action. Not one of the 5 main characters have a simple line, at least in the trailer. While that makes the cooler full of oomph, it could get tiring very quickly in the film.

The heist genre along with some western rustiness is a welcome texture. Again, hope it doesn't get too much of the same making it tedious and/or overwhelming. Interestingly, whatever the case, it doesn't look like the going will get dull. The music surely isn't dull from what the most of the reviewers have to say.

It is easy to dismiss a film that has a lot of “style” with the “form over substance” argument. Baadshaho tries to counter that presumed dismissal with an attempt at balance between story and swagger. But loses steam post-interval and becomes predictably haphazard. That is as much a testament to the makers' consistency across films as it is to the seasoned Hindi action film watchers in us.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the performances too are rid of their energy in the second half – across the board.

Most films give enough mind space to the audience to predict what will happen next or a parallel thought on whether or not you are enjoying a film. Baadshaho doesn't give you much of a chance to think about how you are feeling about the film and succeeds in keeping you guessing about the next twist in a good way – but only in the first half. And that is a tragedy.

Every time Bhavani & Co. (Ajay Devgn & Co.) get into a soup, you think of the many ways that they might get out of it. The film surprises with its solution. Only difference is in the first half, you think it is smart, as interval approached things become quite laughable. The last hour just goes loose. The only intention seems to be to complete a heist-action film to-do list:
Story-wise,
Double-crossing: check
Out-smarting: check
Execution-wise:
Chase sequence: check
Lock-opening sequence: check
Police torture sequence: check

While some of these could have worked to the film's advantage, as story elements they become tedious. It then becomes, any other action slick-flick in a different setting. Rajasthan, 70s. Rajasthan is used to give the film a dusty, grungy texture and 70s is used as a loophole, everything that sounds implausible is explained away using the emergency. All the signs of subtle character exposition (dare I say) in the first half are exposed and given a twist with an additional story. It could have been a study of changing perceptions as you know more of the story. But characters behave rather randomly and you lose all the interest you had in them in the beginning.

For the action part, it became more about appreciating what wasn't there rather than what was. Again, in the first half at least the background score didn't become the ever-pulsating beat that we are soon becoming desensitised to. Also, it was good to see a chase sequence that didn't have the predictable shattering of property – a pottery stall here, a vegetable cart there. The climax fight sequence is well-shot but is long and is better positioned in a showreel rather than the film's reel.

Unfortunately, though the songs seem nice to listen to, they are obviously fillers in the films. What we are left with then is the super-cool performances. Like in the trailer, almost every line has a “filmy” edge to it, irrespective of who is delivering it. But, the trailer has taken up the better lines and you are left with barely any new “super-cool” ones for the rest of the film.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the performances too are rid of their energy in the second half – across the board. Not that we haven't seen any of them – Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Esha Gupta, Sanjai Mishra, Vidyut Jamwal – in these forms earlier. They continue their act. Ileana D'cruz is the only one who is slightly different because of the character she plays. Her act as a shrewd ruler to a dramatic and sympathetic one are both convincing. What doesn't work though is the way the character is written itself – it is with the intent to keep the audience guessing rather than serving the story.

The only intention seems to be to complete a heist-action film to-do list

We go back to “form over substance” with a half-hearted attempt at form. As an audience, grateful for the attempt, I am. But, that attempt didn't make it an immersive or enjoyable couple of hours at the theater.

Warning: clicking on "full review" will take you to an external website that could contain spoilers.

Thumbs up,
Bollywood Hungama
:
...On the whole, BAADSHAHO is a nice package of great dialogues, amazing visuals, efficient direction, superlative performances, exciting action and tension-filled drama. At the box office, the film is bound to grow over the weekend and it will also benefit on weekdays due to post-Eid celebrations. If you are a fan of thriller, action and masala movies, you shouldn’t miss this one.
...
full review

Thumbs up,
Indicine
:
...Conclusion: Baadshaho delivers on its promises of being a thrilling heist film and it is entertaining for the majority of its duration. There are flaws like loopholes, overdrawn action scenes, inconsistent detailing but they’re merely technical. If you’re willing to suspend your disbelief and if you want to enjoy a badass Bollywood film with whistle worthy dialogues then you can’t go wrong with Baadshaho this week. Give it a watch and you might be pleasantly surprised.
...
full review

So-So,
by Smita Vyas Kumar ,
Desi Martini
:
...Badhshaho doesn’t offer any excitement of any kind to the audience. It is fast paced but it’s the kind of speed you experience in a moving car- by the time you spot something interesting its gone already. Avoid.
...
full review

So-So,
by Aashish ,
Desi Martini
:
...The film also has a surprise element and it’s the evergreen Sanjay Mishra who is the highlight of the film. The scenes between Sanjay Mishra and Emraan Hashmi are fun to watch and the only thing consistently good about the film is the comedy. The film could have been better but the story seems to be incomplete with many loose ends and under defined characters.
...
full review

So-So,
by NAYANDEEP RAKSHIT,
DNA
:
...Unless you are a huge Ajay Devgn fan, you can skip this one.
...
full review

So-So,
by Rachit Gupta,
Filmfare
:
...Baadshaho is the classic entertainer premise that had all the potential to be a rollicking adventure....
full review

So-So,
by Satish Sundaresan ,
koimoi
:
...Considering that the film has been marketed as an ‘Ajay Devgn- Emraan Hashmi’ starrer (the duo whose camaraderie meant fireworks on the silver screen), Baadshaho will have viewers watching it purely for the same, with an expectations of being treated with the duo’s one liners. The film, which is expected to do good business during the weekend because of the aforementioned factors, will really have to prove itself in the acid test during the week which follows.
...
full review

So-So,
by Uday Bhatia,
Live Mint
:
...Baadshaho may not be a smart film, but it’s a reasonably savvy daft one, inventive enough to revisit a key event from multiple perspectives and silly enough to have Mishra pick a safe in horse blinkers. You don’t go in expecting much of a film that promises Sunny Leone bathing in a barrel. You don’t receive much either, but you’re grateful for the scraps.
...
full review

So-So,
by Jaidev Hemmady,
Movie Talkies
:
...This is not to say that the film fails in the ‘masala’ department… but while it has loads of it, Baadshaho is never going to be Bollywood’s answer to The Italian Job or Ocean’s Eleven....
full review

So-So,
by Kunal Guha,
Mumbai Mirror
:
...In a scene, a locksmith stares down the blouse of his female jailmate and excitedly chirps, "Raasta mil gaya!" If you've figured what he meant, this film will speak to you.
...
full review

So-So,
by Meena Iyer,
Times of India
:
...Ajay burns the screen with his searing intensity; Ileana passes muster as the Maharani with hidden facets; Emraan's takeaway is that he gets to shimmy with Sunny Leone and Vidyut gets an `interesting' introduction.
...
full review

Thumbs down,
by Subhash K Jha,
Bolly Spice
:
...Just why the film industry tolerates the likes of Gupta and D’Cruz is a subject worthy of a thesis. Or just why we, the audiences, are expected to tolerate a film so steeped in self-congratulations that it can’t see how ridiculous it looks as four mercenaries played by Devgan, Hashmi, Esha Gupta and Sanjay Mishra, set off to rescue the aforementioned Rani’s gold collection from the Government.
...
full review

Thumbs down,
by Gaurang Chauhan,
Bollywood Life
:
...Overall, the film is an opportunity lost, despite Ajay Devgn’s aura, Emraan Hashmi’s charisma and Ileana D’Cruz’s great performance, it’s a botched up job at best.
...
full review

Thumbs down,
by Rohit Bhatnagar,
Deccan Chronicle
:
...In totality, Baadshaho could have been a far much better film, but the execution should be blamed. Watch it if you won’t get tickets of Shubh Mangal Saavdhan since it is a must-watch family entertainer and it will surely run house-packed over the weekend.
...
full review

Thumbs down,
by Dev Raj Gulati,
Desi Martini
:
...Performances are average.None of the compositions are engaging.Sunny Leone goes through her item number in much the way we have seen her do....
full review

Thumbs down,
by UDITA JHUNJHUNWALA,
FirstPost
:
...The screenplay of Baadshaho is unduly non-linear and includes indulgent scenes like one of police torture. Baadshaho's finale unfolds in a sandstorm and is the one scene that is visually arresting, though the story loses itself somewhere within the vortex.
...
full review

Thumbs down,
by Vishal Verma,
Glamsham.com
:
...Production values are first rate and technically a much superior product, BAADSHAHO is deftly captured by Sunita Radia's lens. On the music front 'Mere Rashke Qamar' sung by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is the pick of the lot.
...
full review

Thumbs down,
by Rohit Vats,
Hindustan Times
:
...Baadshaho has too many ordinarily written characters jostling for whistle-worthy one-liners for 136-minutes. Eventually they run short of the steam and Baadshaho becomes a rehashed ‘90s story with some gloss and a lot of disappointment.
...
full review

Thumbs down,
by Sushant Mehta,
india today
:
...The second half of the film and especially the climax is indescribable there is a silly twist in the tale at the half way mark but everything about this film is totally dated. The action sequences take you back to the 70's, not because the heist is set in the backdrop of the 1975 emergency but because the technology used to create these scenes is now extinct....
full review

Thumbs down,
by Sonil Dedhia,
MiD DAY
:
...Far from an exciting film that would have me glued to my seat, this one made me look for the nearest exit to run. Instead of Baadshaho, one could well call it 'Bhaag jao'.
...
full review

Thumbs down,
by Saibal Chatterjee,
NDTV
:
...One is sure that there will be takers for this piece of cinematic tripe, but the audience deserves better. There can be no two ways about that.
...
full review

Thumbs down,
by Manisha Lakhe,
Now Running.com
:
...This is such a blatant attempt at wanting a sequel you facepalm rather loudly and wish Sunny Leone would show up again and dance in a giant barrel of water so you feel you did not spend the ticket money in vain....
full review

Thumbs down,
by Sukanya Verma,
Rediff
:
...Things get truly down and dirty towards the end. Which is to say the concluding 20 minutes of Baadshaho are so hazy and dusty, I found myself mentally vacuum cleaning the screen.
...
full review

Thumbs down,
Sify Movies
:
...It is hard to believe that Milan Luthria who once upon a time gave us Kachche Dhaage and The Dirty Picture and the immortal songs of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan would here be reduced to reviving his comatose career with a gold-rescue plan that is harebrained and untenable. And the songs are so forgettable you wonder which would be obliterated from our minds first. The songs or the film?
...
full review

Thumbs down,
by Karan Bali,
Upper Stall
:
...Baadshaho has to be one of the dullest heist films ever made. Some incredibly lazy writing and even more lazier execution prove to be the death knell for this film whose premise was never too exciting to begin with....
full review

Thumbs down,
by Rummana,
yahoo! India
:
...The thing is there doesn’t seem to be a single tangible plot point that seems to make sense in the entire scheme of things. The protagonist’s manipulations seem contrived and superfluous. And despite, the dialoguebaazi and the Bollywood masala, the end product is bland and completely forgettable.
...
full review

Comments (4)

The movie starts off with stunning luxurious looks that can only be enjoyed on a giant screen. What with Rajasthan and its majestic palaces, a 50 inch screen would seem crammed.

Other than the larger than life effect what is on offer is a rustic almost Western kind of look and feel with a story that trudges along to reveal the planning, execution and the post portions of a dare devil heist. One can be pardoned to believe that Milan Luthria thought himself to be making a Quentin Tarantino film, replete with gory blood spurting.

The story that the film is narrating may be from the 1970, but the 1970s style of characterisations of whiter than white and darker than black are not carried forward. Barring that sole aspect everything about the story telling is from the 1970s films. So many loopholes, so many creative liberties, so many gaffes, in short a terrible treatment of the story. To be fair there is hardly any story to tell. Worst is the climax, which just carries on and on, with below par action sequences doing nothing in particular. I was literally yawning and fidgeting in my seat for it to get over. Another Tarantino attempt gone horribly wrong? A thriller genre film that doesn't keep you engaged becomes extremely fatiguing.

That brings us to the ensemble. Ajay Devgn is his intense self. Vidyut Jamwal's entry scene is decent but then I felt sorry for him for his poorly written role. Sanjay Mishra gets a minor role. Ileana is a misfit, needs acting lessons. Emraan in a playboy role, why am I not surprised?

The film is too slow for a thriller genre, and it has just too many things happening without any logic. This one can be safely skipped. I would not even recommend watching it on TV as the only good part is the visual treatment that cannot be enjoyed on the TV.

PS: since past several weeks, every Hindi film I watch is preceded by the trailer of the pseudo intellectual film secret superstar. Watching that did promo already puts me off mood before the start of the film, thinking on how bad my Bollywood Diwali be this year. And that peppers my appreciation of the actual film that I have gone to watch.

Fan has given this movie a Nay! Thumbs Down.
Fan has posted 714 comments and has rated 200 movies. See Fan's page for more details.

@Baadshaho :) for your ps. Which one is this? I seem to have escaped this one. But that's so sad that the movie is spoilt for you because of the trailer of a movie that the former has nothing to do with. Not fair to the film you are there to watch. :/

Fan

@Meeta: the promo is of the film "Secret Superstar" ;-) scheduled for Diwali release.

I must have now watched the trailer at least 5 times on the giant screen - and I am fed up of watching its promo. The first time I watched it, it seemed alright. Second time a bit less okay. By the 3rd time I started getting seriously annoyed by this trailer. By now I know the trailer by heart. Each time it is the exact same trailer.

Fan has given this movie a Nay! Thumbs Down.
Fan has posted 714 comments and has rated 200 movies. See Fan's page for more details.